Paul DeYoungVan Buren County

Our President’s message…

Welcome to the Michigan Association of Registers of Deeds, Inc. website. You will find this site a useful resource from contact information for every Register within the State of Michigan to links to recording statutes, fees, transfer tax and their exemptions. I’d like to thank the web site committee for their dedication to the content and maintenance of this site. This is just one example of the talented members of our association who devote many hours to public service!

"Imagine a country where nobody can identify who owns what, addresses cannot be easily verified, people can not be made to pay their debts, resources cannot conveniently be turned into money, ownership cannot be divided into shares, descriptions of assets are not standardized and cannot be easily compared and the rules that govern property vary from neighborhood to neighborhood or even from street to street."​ Hernando DeSoto The Mystery of Capital, page 15

The members of this association are keenly aware of the importance of the records entrusted to our perpetual safekeeping. Recorded documents are constructive notice of their contents, may be admitted into evidence and are prima facie proof of the events they purport to memorialize. This association remains a proponent of legislation designed to preserve these records and their integrity while protecting individual property rights.

“You Registers are engaged in registering deeds. It may be a small thing in itself but it shows the progress of civilization for the owning of a home is the foundation of civilization”.​ Senator Chas. E. Townsend 1915 The human side of a Register of Deeds’ duties​